Kendall Betts Horn Camp 1999

report by Jay Sewell

Camp Ogontz in the beautiful White Mountains of northern New Hampshire provided the setting for the fifth annual Kendall Betts Horn Camp. This intense and resoundingly successful two-week retreat and seminar brought together horn players of all ages, backgrounds and abilities, who were truly interested in becoming better horn players and musicians. To meet these ends, founder and director Kendall Betts, principal horn of the Minnesota Orchestra, put together and effective and rewarding program complete with a world class faculty that included Vincent Barbee, William Capps, Kristen Hansen, Michael Hatfield, Abby Mayer, David Ohanian, Soichiro Ohno, Jean Rife, James Thatcher, and Barry Tuckwell. These wonderful teachers and players were always helpful and supportive, not to mention just plain fun to socialize with.

Kendall assigned each participant to a group based on their background and ability. The groups rotated each morning through faculty members studios to maximize exposure to different ideas and concepts. Early afternoon brought scheduled private lessons or Barry Tuckwell’s class on solo preparation, a fundamentals of music class with Abby Mayer, or Kristen Hansen’s ear training sessions. The afternoon’s work ended with coached ensembles, and the evening brought master classes with Barry, panel discussion, and recitals performed by the faculty. Jim Thatcher held a program on studio recording, complete with campers filling in the "studio" horn section, and Abby Mayer, dressed in liederhosen, presented a fascinating program on horn history complete with shofars, hunting horns, and alphorns. David Ohanian astounded all with the Gliere Concerto, a faculty group premiered Milton Phibbs’ latest work, Descant Be Happenin’ To Me, and Professor G. was back for Clam Night with the Hindemith Sonata on natural horn.

Amongst all of the work there was time for personal interests and non-musical activities. You could study yoga with Jean Rife, brush up on your excerpts for the mock auditions, climb New Hampshire’s highest peak, Mt. Washington, and even swim or sail on Lake Ogontz. As an added bonus, the food was outstanding. Chef Andrew treated campers to dinners of roast turkey, lobster, and salmon mousse. Participants and faculty assisted the minimal staff with 30 minutes of daily chores that ran the gamut from food preparation, dining hall setup, dishwashing, and plant care to running errands. This may seem an odd list of activities to require of campers but it was a fun part of the day and added to the esprit-de-corps atmosphere.

Kendall’s vision of a unique, intense, and fun horn retreat has evolved over the last five years into what was the most rewarding and fulfilling musical experience of my life. Anyone who wants to improve their playing, and have fun while doing so, should consider attending, especially young musicians planning a professional career. This is a rare opportunity to get an inside look at what it takes to be a pro, taught by the very people who do it every day. (Thanks also to Carl Ek and Jon Woodyard who supplied additional information about KBHC 1999.)